Code Blue Stories
Overview These stories feature the character Code Blue, created and owned by user HiroAntagonist. They are in chronological order. You And Me (recommended music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzJikUFVxes) Paris. The city of lights. It was late, and the sky was filled with clouds. They couldn't see the stars above them, but the lights of the city were perfect replacements. David was nervous. He shouldn't be, he knew, but he was just the same. They didn't have long before the next op. They had spent the day flying over France, David and his love. They had seen vineyards, quaint little cottages, tiny little villages in the country side. The coast was dotted with buildings, some large, some small. Finally, they had come to Paris. They had visited the Louvre, Notre Dame, they had walked through parks and gardens. But there was one place they hadn't been, yet, and as they sat eating at a little restaurant, Kaylee could hardly take her eyes off it. The Eiffel Tower shined like a beacon in the night, dominating the view, dwarfing every other light in Paris, daring you not to look at it. David didn't care about all the art, didn't care about the architecture, could care less about the Tower. But he knew Kaylee loved it. That's why he had talked her in to leaving a day early, ditching the planning and plotting to escape from Vita, and to take in the sights. That's why, even though the art and the tours bored him to death and taxed him mentally (he had to keep making people ignore the fact that his face was blue), he had never had more fun in his entire life. Her joy, her excitement, her wonder was infectious. Seeing her eyes light up, the smile on her face, made all the boring stuff enjoyable, just because he was with her. That's how David knew he really loved her. That's why there was a special object in his pocket, a weight he was hyperaware of. That's why he was nervous. They finished their dinner and their wine, and David took Kaylee's hand in his. It was time. He smiled at her, and said, "Well. I reckon there ain't but one place left to go, darlin'." Kaylee nearly squealed with excitement. They walked hand in hand to the tower. It was late, well after midnight. The place was empty, the lifts shut down for the night. They stood there, staring up at the enormous building. "It's beautiful, David," Kaylee said. David looked around, saw no one, and stepped in front of Kaylee. He grinned and said, "We're not just gonna look at it from down here." He took her other hand, and lifted them straight up, all the way to the top. Kaylee gasped as they got higher up, and even David was amazed by the view. The city was gorgeous, the lights shining like stars. David slowly turned himself and Kaylee, so that they each got to see the entire panorama. He stopped so that she was facing the most beautiful part of the view. He took of his hat, and left it floating in the air next to them. "Kaylee," he said, "we need to talk. I ain't one for pretty words," she chuckled, "but I have somethin' I want to say. "The Vita Foundation is wrong. We know that now. We've helped them do some things that we ought not to have. But every bit of it led me to this moment. Floatin' here, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with the most beautiful girl in the world." Tears shined in her eyes. "Without you, I ain't strong enough to stand up to them. Without you, I doubt that I'd even try. Before I met you, I wouldn't real sure 'bout what I wanted in life. But now I am. What I want is you, Kaylee." He dropped down to one knee (which looked awful funny considering they were hovering nine-hundred and eighty-some-odd feet above the ground) and pulled the ring from his pocket. It was a family ring, a simple silver band with a modest diamond. The light glinting off of it certainly helped it look more impressive. Kaylee was smiling, tears of joy on her cheeks. "Kaylee Riley," David said, "will you marry me?" The two seconds before she said "yes" felt like an eternity to David. He slipped the ring on her finger, wrapped his arms around her, and they kissed. As they kissed, they rose higher and higher into the sky. David knew that nothing could ever make him happier than this moment. All I Know Blue handed Max the glass and sat in the chair across from him. The apartment was dark and largely still filled with boxes piled upon boxes. It had been just over a month since Victoria's passing. Max was still very much a wreck, though he did his best not to show it. Blue had come by every few days whenever Max was in town. Mostly, the two friends just sat together. Sometimes Blue would turn the TV or radio on, sometimes he’d make them a drink. But mostly, he just sat. He understood too well what his friend was going through. But apparently, this particular night, Max was ready to speak. “...How did you handle it, man?” he asked, his voice soft, throat dry. “When she…” Blue took a deep breath, let it out in a sigh. He knew the question would come up eventually. He wasn’t sure he was ready to answer it, though. “I mean,” Max continued, “I just don’t know what I’m gonna do. I'm just...sometimes I feel --” He trailed off and looked down into his reflection in the liquid before staring across at his friend. Blue didn’t look. He drained his glass, and then spoke. ( http://www.youtuberepeat.com/watch?v=8IanZD91PoY ) --- “It’ll be easy,” Kaylee said. They were going to blow the fuel depot near the private airport owned by a psychopathic megalomaniac just outside of Paris, France. The fire, the smoke, the chaos would cover their escape. Their transponders would be found in the wreckage. Everyone would assume they were dead. And their lives would start. As they work to plant the charges, his mind drifts back to the first time he worked up the courage and asked her out. --- One year ago. “Dinner?” she asked. “Why would I want to go to dinner with you?” She smiled. He knew she was joking, knew that she’d already decided she would go. He chuckled and listed off a few reasons, the first being that he was the only guy in their class she ever even spoke to. She laughed, and he listed off more. “Tell you what, handsome; you come by my room tonight at seven. I’ll decide by then.” She smiled again, and his heart was hers. He knew it, as sure as he knew anything. --- The charges were set. David flew them to a safe distance. Together, they pressed the trigger, the first step in their new lives. As the charges went off, David’s mind screamed, alerting him to danger. But it was too late. He screams as he’s struck from behind. --- October. His skin is changed. He hides in his room, afraid of what she’ll think. He’s never felt that different, he’s never looked different. And now he does. And he knows she’ll hate him. She keeps calling, keeps coming to the room. Their instructors come by, the doctors. He refuses to let any of them in. Finally, they tell him they’ll send her on assignment alone if they can’t test him. She comes back that night. She’s not afraid. She doesn’t hate him. He realizes how much he loves her. That he’d do anything, give up anything for her. --- Everything is wet. David realizes he’s in a hole nearly filled with water. It shoots from the ground next to him and into the air. David turns, sees Kaylee fighting a large man with glowing hands. He tries to stand. Something isn’t right. His chest hurts. Nothing is going right anymore. He activates the emergency beacon on his comm unit. He floats himself into an upright position, starts throwing the debris around him at the man. But he’s unfocused, some of it hits Kaylee. It throws her off balance. The water is falling back down. --- Two months ago, the week after Christmas. They’re training. She’s winning. The way she controls the water around her amazes him, paralyzes him. It’s why she always wins. He’s determined to put up a fight this time. He flies through the air, dodging and ducking. He flies high, towards the ceiling. She rides a jet of water after him. At the last moment, he stops moving forward, curls into a ball, and launches himself down at her. Before she can react, his arms are around her waist and they’re diving towards the water. He traps air around them before they hit the surface, enough to allow them to talk for a while. He speaks to her, calms her down. He pulls a long, narrow box from his pocket. It’s tied with a red ribbon. She opens it, smiles at what’s inside. A silver necklace, with an aquamarine heart-shaped pendant. She kisses him. He wins that round. --- The man has her by the hair. David pushes with his mind, throws the big man off balance. Kaylee kicks him in the groin. He howls, slaps her, then grabs her arm. He lifts her. David tries to move, tries to get to her. The big man hurls her at him. They crash into the hole. David watches as the man laughs. His hand glow brighter, blue light arcing between his fingertips. He holds out his hand, and the lightning flies forward. In that instant, David wraps his arms around Kaylee, attempting to shield her. The electricity strikes his back. The pain is blinding. --- Three weeks ago. They’re in Sweden. They ski. She buys a sticker from the lodge. Afterwards, they go to their mission. Smash and grab, nothing major. They eat at a nice restaurant that night. It’s the first time she mentions children. They’d talked about settling down. He had already bought the ring. But to know she wants kid…he’s so happy, but so scared. He knows they can do it, though. They can have a family. --- David lay on the ground as his world came to an end. Around him gunshots blasted, explosions shook the ground. There was fire in his chest. Shouts in different languages confused him. He should know what they said, but they just confused him. Something was wrong. But all he could focus on was what he held in his arms. She doesn’t move. He tries to speak to her. She doesn’t move. His eyes close, and his mind churns. --- Last night. "Yes," she said as they hovered in the air. He slipped the ring on her finger. She kissed him, with more love than he had ever felt. His heart soared, and so did they, rising higher and higher into the sky. Kaylee sighed as the kiss broke, her breath steaming in the coolness of the high altitude. David felt only the warmth between them. He flew them back to their hotel room. --- Gunfire. A helicopter. Someone is near, speaks to him. David doesn’t look, doesn’t acknowledge. He just throws them away. People keep shouting. He keeps pushing them away. The gunshots are louder. It’s harder to think. He won’t let go. They can’t make him let go. He shouts her name. She doesn’t move. His mind flashes one more time. --- He’s sitting on a swing. The swing is on the front porch of a house he’s never seen. He feels older. Children play in the yard, laughing. No worries, no concerns. Safe, happy, enjoying life. He smiles. A woman steps out of the house. Her beauty takes the breath from his chest. Her brown hair is longer, and darker, her green eyes brighter. She carries a slice of pie. She’s dressed simply, comfortably for a summer afternoon. As she sits next to him, she kisses him, and David feels years of love and care in those few moments. He takes the pie from her. She lays her head on his shoulder as he eats it. When he’s finished he wraps an arm around her, holds her tight. The children in the yard look back at them, waving and smiling. The two laugh and wave back. He’s more than content, he’s more than happy. He’s never felt this way before. He kisses the top of her head. “David?” she says. “Don’t ever let go.” He holds her tighter. “I love you, you know,” she says. Before he can respond, the image fades. --- Hands grab him. He fights. He hears screams as he sends people flying in every direction. He won’t let go. He won’t let them make him. The fire in his chest is spreading. Something is wrong, and he doesn’t care. His mind is weaker than ever. This time, when the hands grab him, he can’t stop them. He holds on as long as he can. But they drag him out of the hole. She slips from his grasp, lying on the ground.’ There lays his entire world. She doesn’t move. He stares into eyes that have lost their light. Every moment together passes before his eyes. Every moment that could have been, that should have been, plays clearly in his mind. A hundred times in a second, she tells him that last phrase, over and over. “I love you, you know.” Before the blessed darkness finally takes him, he finds the strength for two words. --- Tears soak his face as sure as the water soaked their bodies that night. He doesn’t move, doesn’t stop staring at the wall in front of him. Max remains silent. Finally, Blue speaks. “I went ballistic when I got back to base, found out who was behind it. I did things to that man’s mind that I would never do to another person. Sometimes, well…sometimes that’s appropriate. After I found y’all, well, I showed up for my assignments and that was it. I spent the rest of my time in my apartment. No one came around. But every mornin’, I had work to do. So I pulled my boots on, put on the hat, and did my job.” He sits his glass on the table. “It weren’t always that easy. Still ain’t, some days. But when it gets too hard, when I feel paralyzed, when I think I can’t make it no more…I remember what she told me.” He shrugs. “She loved me. That’s all I know.” One Piece At A Time Blue always wondered what his face looked like when he was blushing. If only he had a mirror. He sat at a table in the Citadel's dining room, surrounded by friends and comrades, some who wouldn't stop laughing at the story they'd heard a dozen times, others chuckling in anticipation. "So there we were, a regular patrol," Flashpoint said. "When we see this guy, Kordos, throwing cars all over the place, going on some sort of rampage." They'd been telling this story for weeks. At first Blue had been embarrassed. Then he had thought it was funny. Now it was back to embarrassing, especially since some of the PK ladies were sitting with them. "And Blue says, 'Y'all don't worry, I'll handle this'un'," Impact said. "I figured he'd just grab the guy with his TK. But no, he flies off after the guy." "So he's flying straight at the guy, dodging cars Kordos is throwing at him," Flashpoint continues. "He pulls out his staff, and goes to do this big spinning hit." Blue isn't sure if the tingling in his face is from blushing or left over from the healing treatments. "Before the staff hits him, Kordos grabs it. Just grabs it, right as it's flyin' at his face," Impact slams his hand on the table, laughing uncontrollably. "And the look on Blue's face," said Flashpoint, trying to speak through the laughter, "like he never thought someone would do that. It was just the best thing ever." Impact takes a couple breaths to slow his laughter down, and continues with the story. "So Kordos has the staff in his hand, Blue's shocked and ain't let go of the thing, so of course Kordos flings him right into the side of the nearest building." "I still don't know how he got up from there so fast!" Flashpoint adds. "But he's back up, and he's flyin' right at the big guy again, this time without the staff. His cape's flowin' behind him, it looked very heroic. His arm's back, he's gonna plant this huge punch, and then" he laughs, hitting the table again. "And then," he can't stop laughing. Flashpoint jumps in, "And then Kordos, at the last second he just leans back. And Blue flies right in front of him." They're both laughing, and so is the rest of the group. Neither can finish the story. Flashpoint looks at him and says, "Come on Blue, tell them how it ends." The group wants him to finish it. They keep asking him to. He takes a deep breath that turns into a sigh. Without looking up, he finishes the story, face getting redder and redder (or bluer and bluer) as that laughs keep coming. "As I flew by him, I kinda wondered how come he could move so quick. Not that it really mattered. Before I knew what happened, he'd took hold of my cape. He started spinnin' me around over his head, faster and faster, like dadgum Mario fightin' Bowser. Stupid cape wouldn't tear. He keeps spinnin' me, then finally throws me. When I came to, I was three blocks away and had crashed through some chick's bathroom wall. She weren't too happy." After a few minutes, the laughter started dying down. He looked up at his team mates. Aglow, Tremor, Impact, Ballistic, High Score, Flashpoint, Celtic Bolt, Christmas, all looked back at him. Some were still chuckling, but everyone was grinning. "So," Tremor said, "did you learn anything, Blue?" Blue grinned. "Sure did, boss man," he said. "I think it's about time for a new costume..." I Still Miss Someone (Recommended music for this portion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI7sE9gfWVE ) She was blonde, young, and she obviously wanted to dance. Blue shrugged off his jacket and left it at the table with Max. He took her hand and escorted her to the dance floor. They drank and danced some more. She sat next to him, whispered in his ear over the sound of the band. Max got a call at one point and left with a smile. Blue and the blonde danced more, drank more, and spent the last part of their night in a corner of the honky tonk. The next night it was a different bar, and she was a vey different blonde. He had come here to unwind after a long patrol, and she sat next to him. She was a talker, which suited Blue just fine. He bought her whatever drinks she wanted, and he listened as she spoke of home, her past, her friends and family. They made plans for dinner another night. A brunette he met at the store the next day wanted to see a movie. He let her pick which one. Afterward, they went dancing, then for dinner and drinks. She didn't want the night to end, but Blue needed to get back to the city. He told her he would call. Dinner with the second blonde. He cooked her favorite meal at his apartment in the city. They spent half the night talking, this time with her asking questions and Blue telling stories. After dinner, they went for a walk in the park. She kissed him under the stars. He flew her home. The brunette called and wanted to go for drinks. Blue met her late, and stayed with her until early. They weren't in the bar very long, because what she really wanted to do wass swim. She took Blue to her place; they spent the rest of the night in the hot tub. Lily is the name of the woman from the honky tonk. Blue saw her there again. The night is the same as before, but after a third round of drinks, he took her on a flight through the city. Soon after, he flew her back to her apartment. He left the next morning. --- Six nights. Three women. A normal week. Sometimes his friends were there, sometimes not. They encouraged him to "get back out there," to "move on." He knows some are surprised at how easy it seems to be for him. Some are disappointed in his behavior, frowning on the drinking, the multiple women. A few are happy, thinking that, whether they approve or not, their friend is getting better. He walked into his apartment after another late night. His hat went to its customary roost, and the jacket on its coat rack. The glasses were tucked away into the pocket of his jacket. He walked to the living room and sat in his recliner. It had been a good night, all in all. Max, Lilah, Zee, a couple of his other teammates went out with him to the bar. They were having a nice time when Lily showed up, wanting to dance. He obliged her. He had fun, his friends had fun, and she had fun. But despite all that, Blue was in a sour mood. He knew what was going to happen, and he didn't fight it. He turned on his radio and smiled sadly at the song that comes on. (Strongly Recommended Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3X8gnsEMgUk ) Blue stands and walks to his cabinet. He pulls out a full bottle of his favorite bourbon, reaches for a glass, hesitates, and shuts the door. Walking to his bedroom, he sits the bottle on the bed. Going to the closet, he reaches up and pulls out a box. Across the top, a single word is written in a fanciful script: Kaylee. Looking down at the box, he uses his mind to open the bottle as he sits on the edge of the bed. He takes a swig, and then opens the box. Inside he sees pictures, letters, little knick-knacks. He pulls them each out, one at a time. His eyes fill with tears almost immediately. Looking at each picture, he sometimes smiles as he remembers when they were taken. One from a vineyard in Tuscany, with her looking at the grapes. The next is of her barefoot in a large wooden tub, actually squishing some underfoot. Another is from a time they were in Texas. Blue is posing next to a rundown sheriff’s office with his thumbs hooked through his belt, straight out of a western movie. London, New York, Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Dublin. Cities all over the world that they had visited. From each country and each city, there is a small figurine, a key-chain, a token. Something she picked to help her remember, to prove that she had been to all these places. As he looks at the pictures, he picks up each souvenir, his mind flashing back to when it was purchased. It didn't matter to her that every country they visited was only for an assignment. She always made time to visit, to people watch, to buy cheap little pieces from somewhere else. After going through them, he starts unfolding the letters. Some are printouts of emails and text messages; some are actual hand-written notes and letters from her. He smiles as he reads her shorthand, the way she dotted the "i" in her last name with a heart, the way she actually wrote winks and smiley faces in her letters. As he goes through them, the tone changes from friendly, to flirty, to romantic, to serious, the last couple discussing family plans and a houses and jobs. The last letter he picks up is one that she had written the night before she died. Blue knows what it says. He's read it a million times, just like the others. Taking a long pull from the now mostly empty bottle, he unfolds it. Inside are the last picture and the last souvenir. The picture is Kaylee, in front of the Eiffel Tower, holding up the key-chain replica that Blue now holds in his hand. After reading the letter again, Blue folds it back up with the picture and the key-chain and sits it aside. The last item in the box is a smaller box. Blue picks it up and stares at it for a few moments. He opens it, and sees the small ring inside. She had given it to him before their mission so that it wouldn't be lost. He had locked it in their safe at the hotel. Before coming to Chicago, he had contacted the hotel and had it shipped so that he could keep it. Gently, he floats the ring from its box. Leaning back, he finishes his bottle as it dances slowly through the air, smiling at the different ways the light reflects as it hits the diamond, the colors it paints on the walls and ceiling. Finally he returns it to its box, and replaces everything just as it had been found. Putting the box back in the closet, he floats to the kitchen and throws away the empty bottle. He'll pick up another tomorrow. Despite everything, he's proud of himself as he floats back to his room. It had been weeks since he had opened that box. Maybe his friends were right. Maybe he was getting better. As he lay on his bed and closed his eyes, his mind drifted toward tomorrow. He should call Lily. The Cowboy Who Started The Fight David Montgomery, known to most as Code Blue, took another bite of his teriyaki steak as the blonde across the table from him continued her story. Though there were parts that he didn't quite understand, the smile never left his face. After a long day of teaching classes, he was glad to have the chance to unwind with someone his own age. The fact that she was smart, kind, and beautiful made it even more enjoyable. It had taken some talking, but he’d managed to get Heather to agree to go to dinner with him. They were at an upscale Japanese restaurant, sitting at a table near the large windows in the front of the building. Cars slowly passed by on the street outside, and people crowded the sidewalks. An average Friday night in the big city. The pair at the table weren’t exactly dressed to match the restaurant they were dining in. Both wore jeans and t-shirts, one wore sneakers, the other combat boots. Yet neither felt out of place. “...which made them the first society, at that level, to really make use of any alphabet.” Heather said, finishing her story. She chuckled. “But this is probably boring you to tears, isn’t it?” David chuckled. “Not at all,” he said. “It’s nice to see you so excited. Don’t stop on my account.” “No, no,” she said, “I don’t want to keep rambling away. Tell me something about yourself.” David raised an eyebrow. “Like what?” he asked. “Well,” she said, “tell me about school. What was your favorite subject?” The light from the candles on the table seemed to dance in her eyes as she took a sip of her tea. “English,” he answered. Heather put her hand to her mouth so she wouldn’t spit the drink out, swallowed, doing her best to stifle a laugh that still managed to peek out. “Now why does everybody think it’s so dadblamed funny when I say that?” David asked in mock exasperation. “Just ‘cause it don’t sound like it don’t mean I don’t know it. I’ll have you know I got an A in my English class.” Heather recovered her composure moments later. “Oh I don’t doubt that,” she said. “You just have to understand, it sounds funny to hear you say that. I can’t imagine Code Blue being a student of grammar and punctuation.” “Well that ain’t the part I liked,” David said. “It was the readin’, mostly, the literature more than anythin’ else.” Heather leaned in slightly, her expression casting the slightest impression of doubt. “Really? I’m sorry, I just... wow. That’s definitely something I didn’t.... I would have thought, you know, career and all, some sort of biology...” The smile left David’s face. “Ain't quite that one-dimensional, H-Bomb,” he said. “Ahem.” He cleared his throat, then said, “‘By this, he seemed to mean, not only that the most reliable and useful courage was that which arises from the fair estimation of the encountered peril, but that an utterly fearless man is a far more dangerous comrade than a coward.’” Heather clapped softly, a quiet appreciation to her tone. “Moby Dick?” “Yep. I thank ya, ma’am. I try.” He grinned, spearing the last bite of his steak onto his fork. “Next question?” Heather paused a moment to eat another piece of maki. It gave her the opportunity to think on it, and once she'd finished chewing the little roll of sushi, she set her chopsticks down and answered. “Well,” she said, “what were you like in high school?” David smiled. “Pert near the same as I am now. I’m a simple fella, ain’t changed much. Played a little ball, had some good friends, went to some nice dinners with pretty girls.” His company arched an eyebrow. “Pretty girls, eh? Do you find yourself dining with pretty girls a lot now?” David offered a lopsided grin as he reached forward and placed his pale blue hand on top of Heather’s. “Not often. I upgraded to beautiful women.” Heather chuckled somewhat nervously and glanced out the window, trying to hide a smile. As David opened his mouth to again to speak, someone outside the restaurant screamed. Both heroes were on their feet and instantly alert. The foot traffic outside had stopped, and there was a small crowd gathered staring down at the ground. Code Blue and Firebird moved towards the door. Before they got there, the crowd that had gathered on the sidewalk collapsed, all of them at once. Heather let out a small gasp, and Blue turned just in time to catch her. Everyone in the restaurant was falling; some to the ground, some onto tables, some just slumped in their seats. Plates and other dishes crashed to the ground. Candles fell off of tables and threatened to start a fire. Blue waved his hand and quickly extinguished them all. He felt Heathers pulse; she was alive, but asleep. Everyone was asleep. He heard car horns and crashes outside. Fortunately traffic was moving slowly, so there were no major hits. “Hello?” Blue yelled. “Can anyone hear me?” He lowered Heather gently to the ground and ran outside. He yelled again, but heard no one. Activating his COMM unit, he contacted the Citadel with an emergency signal requesting backup from whoever was closest. The city that never sleeps had fallen silent. At least this section of it had. Blue could still hear cars in the distance, but the constant sound of people living their lives was absent in this area. He also felt the silence in his mind as the thousands of people around him slumbered. The first bit of mental silence since moving to the big city all those years ago should have been enjoyable. But instead, it filled him with dread. As Blue looked up and down the street for any sign of what was causing the phenomena, he saw a car lift off the ground. “Huh,” was all he managed to say before the car flew at him. He held up his hand and caught it with a mental grip, then gently lowered it to the ground. Blue heard a sound behind him, turned, and saw two more flying towards him. He managed to catch both and lower them, but just barely. Lifting himself into the sky, he scanned the area mentally and visually. He could detect nothing, until suddenly…an immense presence, a power, something like Blue had never felt before. A voice screamed in his head, more forceful than anything he had ever felt. WHO DARES DEFY MY WILL? Blue fell through the air, barely coming to his senses in time to stop himself from hitting the ground. He raised as many mental barriers as he could and landed gently on the ground. He searched, trying to find where the entity was. A woman walked down the sidewalk. She was middle-aged, and had long red hair. Blue stared at her. The color was drained from the woman’s skin, making it almost translucent. Her eyes were white and pupil-less. Her mouth was twisted into a sneer, and when she spoke, it sounded like multiple voices coming from one mouth. “Who are you?” she said. She took a deep breath. “Such…power. I can almost taste it…” Blue squared off. “Now listen, ma’am,” he started. The woman barked a short, harsh laugh. “We are no ‘ma’am.’ We have been known by many names through the ages.” “Well whoever the hell you are-” “''BE SILENT!” she screamed. The voice reverberated in Blue’s mind, causing him to stagger. She smiled a crooked, twisted, evil smile. “We have been known by many names, in many places. Chaos. Izanami. Yama. Azra'il. Fate. We prefer Moros.” The woman, Moros, began slowly circling Blue. “We sensed your power from a great distance. And yet, it feels as though you are not ready. Why is this?” She seemed reasonable. Blue gave it a try. “Look, I don’t know who you are or what you want, but-” Moros held out a hand and Blue flew backwards, head over heels. He stopped himself spinning, and landed on the ground, his feet skidding on the pavement before getting a hold. “Why are you not as powerful as you feel?” Moros asked again. “We have searched far and wide for someone like us. Now we find you, and you are weak.” “We’ll see who’s weak,” Blue said. He grasped a streetlamp with his mind and lifted it into the air, pulling out part of the sidewalk with it. He swung it like a hammer at the woman. Before it hit her, she held up a hand, never taking her eyes off Blue. The streetlamp swung back towards Blue. He tried, but couldn’t stop it. It hit him and knocked him into the side of a building. “Why do you attack us?” Moros asked. She let the streetlamp fall to the ground. “We are like you. We, too, have…the gift.” “Lady,” Blue said as he stood, wiping the dust off jacket. “I don’t know what in the world you’re talkin’ about.” Moros tilted her head to the side, looking surprised. “The gift,” she said. “We are not like other people. We are stronger. We are better. We are evolved.” Blue had an idea. His mental safeguards in place, he said, “Maybe I need a teacher. I’ve been learnin’ by myself all this time. Maybe you could teach me?” He very, very cautiously reached out with his mind as he continued. “Someone as powerful as you are, there’s much you could teach me. Like these people? How did you put them all to sleep at once?” “Bah. This is child’s play. You cannot do this?” Moros seemed genuinely curious. Moros wasn’t as old as they were claiming. Old, yes, but not ancient. “I can, but not this many at once. The range is amazing. And you put them under deep enough that ain’t nothin’ woke ‘em up yet.” No weaknesses that he could feel. If he could just dig a bit deeper… Oh no. The voice screamed in his mind. ''WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONGER THAN MOROS? LET US SEE. Blue was certain he screamed as Moros effortlessly shattered every mental barrier he had in place. The feeling of them in his mind was almost too much to bear. He pushed back with everything he had, but it barely slowed Moros down. He felt his mind being pulled apart as Moros searched every inch of it in the most painful ways possible, felt every part of himself laid bare. Blue tried desperately to protect himself, but Moros kept pushing, kept tearing through his mind. He could feel Moros tug at his memories, and new he had to stop them before the team, before his family was put in danger. He pulled back all of his mental energy, and concentrated in one place. Pulling from depths of his mind and soul his didn’t know he could access, Blue pushed with all his might. The presence left his mind, but Blue was weak. He wasn’t certain he could withstand another assault. Opening his eyes, he realized he was lying on the ground. Blood had dripped from his nose. Blue wiped it off with the back of his hand, and forced himself to his feet. Looking around, he saw Moros’ body lying on the ground, wisps of steam rising from it. He walked over and looked into the creatures eyes. Dried blood lined the corners of her eyes…which were no longer solid white. He checked for a pulse and found one. It was weak, but it was there. Blue’s sinking suspicion was confirmed by slow, deep laughter behind him. “There,” Moros said. “''That'' is the power we have felt.” Blue turned. A man stared at him, tall and portly with thinning hair. Like the woman before, his eyes were solid white, his skin lacking nearly any color. “Now that you have felt it, it will come much easier,” Moros said. Blue was breathing heavily. “What…what do you want from me?” Moros actually looked confused. “What do we want? We want you to be powerful! To be like us!” Blue spat on the ground. “I’ll never be like you, you piece of filth. You used that woman, you’re using that man!” Moros chuckled. “They are weak. Yet they make us more powerful. It is almost…humorous.” Blue was enraged. He shot towards Moros like a bullet, not certain what he was going to do. Before he got close, Moros held up a hand. Blue froze in the air, and Moros circled him. “Why would you try to attack us in such a way? You cannot harm us with hand nor fist. What damage you cause, you cause to this host.” Blue felt icy tendrils working through his mind. He tried to resist, tried to twist free from Moros’ mental grasp, but his strength was gone. He tried to stall for time. Sure the other PKs would be here soon. “No one is coming for you, David.” The way Moros said his name sent chills down Blue’s spine. In a desperate attempt, Blue reached out for Heather, hoping to wake his team mate. He realized his mistake too late. “Oh?” Moros said. “Who is that? Who is it that you call for?” Moros looked at the doors of the restaurant. They swung open and out floated the sleeping body of Blue’s team mate. She looked peaceful, unaware of the terror that carried her. “You leave her out of this,” Blue said. He struggled in Moros’ mental grasp. Moros brought Heather to a stop in front of Blue and lowered her to the ground. He stepped around so that she was between the two of them. Moros took a deep breath. “Yes, I smell power on her too. It is…different. Not nearly as strong as we are. Why are you with her?” Blue could feel his anger welling up. But with it this time was love for his team mate. With that love came determination to protect her. “Moros, I’m warnin’ ya. Leave her out of this.” “Why do you seek to protect her? To protect all of these people? They are weak, they are not worthy. You could rule them all, dominating them with your iron will.” “Moros, you sorry sack o' horse manure, I ain’t gonna say it again.” Moros smiled his twisted smile again. “Perhaps I can simply pull the answers from her mind. Although…that would leave her quite incapacitated.” Blue quit struggling and started pulling his power in. “But with the power she wields…she could make a worthy host.” Moros chuckled wickedly. “I could have all of her memories then. Yes, I think that is what I will do. She will become a powerful host.” “This is your last warnin’,” Blue said with more confidence than he felt. “Leave her. The hell. Alone.” Moros didn’t even look at Blue. He faced Heather, and when he began to reach for her, his grip on Blue loosened ever so slightly. But it was enough. Blue pushed out with all his strength and shattered Moros’ hold on him, causing Moros to stagger. Before the entity could react, Blue wrapped his arms around Moros’ waist, and rocketed the two of them away as fast as he could. He didn’t stop until they were above a patch of woods, miles from any place inhabited. As they fell, Moros started pushing himself into Blue’s mind. They crashed to the ground, disrupting Moros’ concentration. In that brief time, Blue placed mental shields up as fast as he could, then withdrew his mind to the same place he had before. It wasn’t long before Moros pushed his way in, shattering the mental defenses Blue had in place. But he was weaker this time, unfocused. Digging into that same well of power he had earlier, Blue waited. The pain was intense, but he held on. This time when Moros tried to force his way into the deepest part of Blue’s mind, he was ready. All at once, he pushed with all the power he had. He heard Moros scream as he was shoved out of Blue’s mind. But this time, Blue kept pushing, following the trail back to Moros’ mind. He wasn’t strong enough to defeat him, but if Blue was right, he just had to hold him there. He kept the mental assault going, pushing back with equal force every time Moros tried to force him out. Blue wrapped his hands around the side of Moros’ host’s head, staring into his eyes. Blue’s own eyes glowed so bright it made the man’s look solid blue. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Moros felt like he was weakening. “Reckon…what do… you do…” Blue said through gritted teeth, “when you’ve got…nowhere to go?” Moros made one last push of such strength it knocked Blue off of the host. Blue braced himself, but no longer felt the presence. He warily extended his senses, but couldn’t detect Moros anywhere. His head dropped to the ground behind him, and Blue felt completely exhausted, drained of all energy. He could feel his defibrillator going off every few seconds, keeping his heart beating. He slowly became aware of his COMM beeping. He focused and used his mind to activate it. “Blue!” Heather’s voice shouted. “Blue, where in the hell are you? What’s going on?” “Heather…” he managed faintly. “Heather, it’s okay. He’s gone….” “Blue,” a different voice says. Blue vaguely recognizes it as Tremor. “Blue, hang in there. Help is on the way.” Blue smiled. Heather was safe. Moros was gone. He laid his head back down and drifted off to sleep. He spent the next three days in the medbay of the Citadel, waking occasionally. High Score and Ballistic were handling things at the Ward while he recovered. There had been no sign of Moros. He had simply disappeared. When reinforcements had tried to approach Blue’s location, they had instantly fallen asleep. Aegis, Celtic Bolt, Flashpoint, and White Sasha had all teleported to the Ward and rushed towards the restaurant, but had been knocked unconscious. Firebird was the first one to make it to Blue after they all woke back up. Moros’ hosts were alive. The woman Blue had first encountered was from Chicago. She was also in the medbay, and the team’s best healers were working with her. But she was in a coma, and they weren’t sure she’d wake up again. The man Blue had carried to the woods would have some deep and lasting psychological scars, but Tremor had already set the man up with the best psychologists in the world, using funds to take care of the man’s medical bills. Blue stayed in the recovery ward for three days, and Heather was at his side constantly, always coming by whenever she had a free moment. He could still feel the imprint of that…monster in his mind. He felt like his mind had been ripped to shreds. It was the worse feeling he’d ever experienced. He knew Heather could still feel him in hers, too. Blue would help her. They would work through it together. On the third day, Blue felt stronger. When he woke up, Heather was sitting at his bedside, a dusty old book in her hands. He lifted his head and looked at her, to which her immediate response was to set the book aside and sit up. “Well,” Blue said, his dry throat making his voice sound raspy. “Ain’t you a perty sight to wake up to?” Heather smiled and brushed the hair back from his eyes, but didn’t say anything at first. “I’m sorry to say this, sweetheart,” Blue said, smiling slightly. “But that has got to be the second-worst date I’ve ever been on. I mean, they didn’t cook my steak right or anything.” Heather looked to one side with a playful impasse, not seeming quite so nervous as she had at dinner. “I thought it was going pretty well,” she said before glancing back. “You know, up to the part where everyone passed out and you almost died.” Blue offered his best crooked grin. “Well, it ain’t a real date unless I almost die, sweetheart.” He started to laugh, but it made his head hurt, so he laid his head back down. Heather continued stroking his hair gently. “Ya know,” Blue said as he started to drift off back to sleep. “A fella could get used to this.” Once the injured hero passed back out, Heather let out a relieved sigh, scooped up her book, and walked for the door, glancing over her shoulder one last time under the door's frame before heading out. Hopefully whoever, whatever, Moros was, they wouldn’t bother the Peacekeepers for a long time… - - - One week later Frank Jones climbed out of his truck. He and his partner Tom worked for the Park Ranger service. They were in a patch of preserved woods in upper New York, investigating a strange sighting. Buzzards had been seen circling over a miles long stretch of forest. In front of their truck was a whitetail doe that had run out into the clearing and collapsed. While Tom walked up to the creature, Frank got the rifle from the back of the truck. Poor thing was probably injured and needed to be put out of its misery. Frank heard Tom yelp, and looked over his shoulder. Tom had fallen and landed next to the deer. “You klutz,” he yelled. He started walking toward him. “You okay?” Tom stood, shakily at first. He turned around, and Frank gasped. There was no color to Tom’s skin, and his eyes were completely white. “We feel much, much better now,” were the last words Frank would ever hear.